Biosafety101: Are you SAFE?

Are you a chemist? Microbiologist? Researcher? Pharmacist? Biologist? Do you work in a laboratory utilizing infectious agents? Or maybe, just maybe, you’re a student learning these fields of sciences? Well, people from these fields would say that when dealing with biohazards, you should always practice biosafety…

Ooops. Biohazard? Biosafety? Have you heard of these words? If not, this blog will help you understand it and its relevance to your practice.

First and foremost, you need to understand what is a biohazard and its relevance to biosafety.

Look! It is the BIOHAZARD symbol. 

But what is a biohazard? 

Well, it is a contraction of the words BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS. It is described as “an infectious agent, or part thereof, presenting a real or potential risk to the well-being of man, animals, and/or plants, directly through infection or indirectly through disruption of the environment.” In short, a biohazard is a biological agent that could harm a living organism.

"By identifying the biohazard, you are able to determine the Biosafety Level."

What is its relevance?

In the field of science, especially microbiology, a person working on a biohazard should follow practices and utilize equipment and facilities that will protect him from exposure to the biohazard. And this is termed as Biosafety.

Biosafety is categorized into Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4. These levels were established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Depending on the Biosafety Level, safety practices, equipment and facilities will vary.

Take note that unless the person working on biohazards follows these recommended practices and uses safety equipment and facilities, he will surely increase his and the environment’s risk of exposure.

So how these Biosafety Levels differ?

Well, the difference of biosafety levels mainly lies on what infectious agent (biohazard) is being used. And depending on the biohazard, a Biosafety Level is determined which comprises of 1) Practices and Techniques, 2) Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers), 3) Facilities (Secondary Barriers).

For E. coli, Biosafety Level 1 is appropriate

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Biosafety Level 1 is recommended for infectious agents not known to consistently cause diseases in healthy adults. Examples of such include Bacillus subtilis, Naegleria gruberi and Escherichia coli which is normally found in our gut.

Biosafety Level 2 is recommended for infectious agents associated with human disease which primarily acquired through percutaneous injury, ingestion or mucous membrane exposure. Biohazards requiring Biosafety Level 2 include Measles virus, Salmonella typhi, Toxoplasma gondii, Hepatitis A, B and C viruses and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Biosafety Level 3 is recommended for biohazards that are indigenous or exotic agents with potential for aerosol transmission and diseases caused by these infectious agents may have serious or lethal consequences. Examples are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, St. Louis Encephalitis Virus, Coxiella burnetii, and Bacillus anthracis.

Biosafety Level 4 is appropriate for Bird Flu.

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Biosafety Level 4 is recommended for biohazards that are considered dangerous and exotic that pose a high risk of life threatening disease. The transmission may be in the form of aerosols or in some cases, it is unknown. Numerous viruses that cause hemorrhagic disease (Ebola, Marburg, Lassa Fever, Hantavirus), H5N1 (bird flu) and Yersinia pestis require Biosafety Level 4.

Now you know what is a biohazard – this is the basis for the selection of the Biosafety Level (composed of 1) Laboratory Practices and Techniques, 2) Safety Equipment and 3) Facilities ) to follow. Remember, biosafety level to use depends on the biohazard.